


Ideal Partners

by thestanpines



Category: Borderlands, Tales from the Borderlands - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College, Drunken Shenanigans, Fluff, Humor, M/M, More characters and tags to come, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-07-21 19:47:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7401379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thestanpines/pseuds/thestanpines
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Falling for your roommate/best friend can be one of the worst or best things ever. Vaughn is quite sure it's both at the same time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It’s been about three months since Rhys and Vaughn had become roommates. In the first days of college they barely had a conversation that lasted more than five minutes, due to Vaughn’s tendency to only speak when asked and his general awkwardness.

Yet here they were now, walking back from the burger place Rhys insisted on visiting at 11pm, casually talking and laughing as they got to know each other more. Turns out it wasn’t that hard for Vaughn to forget his self-consciousness when Rhys was around. The Computer Science student was so good at keeping the conversation alive and looking like he was genuinely interested in what Vaughn had to say, he actually started making witty comments of his own.

At some point they started talking about their Statistics teacher, Ms. Martinez and the ridiculously big mole on her neck.

“It’s so weird, ‘cause like, nobody talks about it out loud,” said Vaughn, gesticulating excitedly. “But it’s so hard to concentrate on anything else during her lecture - and that’s coming from someone who _loves_ statistics - because you just look at her and. There it is. The mole. I’ve heard people are calling it Steve behind her back.”

“Dude, really? That mole is definitely a she. Looks like she’d have a grandma name, like Mary,” Rhys argued in a completely serious voice.

“Didn’t you tell me your first kiss was called Mary?” Vaughn frowned. “Wait. Rhys, please be honest with me. Are you secretly attracted to Ms. Martinez?”

Rhys didn’t even have time to answer before Vaughn burst out laughing at his own question. Ms. Martinez was a 45 years old Hispanic woman who only noticed Rhys when he accidentally spilled an energy drink all over his desk. At that point everyone around him started shooting him angry looks and trying to shift their chairs as far as possible from his mess.

“Oh, please. She’s _waaay_ out of my league. I mean, she has a PhD _and_ her own company. Plus I’m fairly sure she’s already in a loving relationship with Mary-Steve.”

Rhys tried to fake a disappointed pout, but then there he was again, beaming at Vaughn as he always did. Vaughn still couldn’t believe he was able to actually call this guy his friend. He felt so angry at himself whenever he silently watched Rhys play video games or make coffee while humming some cheesy tune and Vaughn suddenly wished they could be a little more than friends. Rhys was more popular and more _(much more)_ good-looking than his nerdy ass, so he should’ve been grateful the guy even talked to him. Things were finally going well for him socially. He couldn’t ruin this.

“Alright then. So, if Ms. Martinez isn’t actually your type - shocking, really - what kind of girls are you into?”

Rhys’ smile faltered as he shot Vaughn a surprised and slightly confused look. He then quickly looked away as he tried to regain his cheerful attitude.

“I, uh… I don’t. Know?” He said and gave a nervous laugh.

“You don’t know?” Vaughn raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

Rhys loved talking to Vaughn, but he quickly started hating this particular conversation.

“I dunno. I guess I don’t really have a type,” he shrugged, hoping Vaughn would just drop the subject altogether.

“Still, there has to be something you usually look for in a girl, right?” Vaughn had always assumed Rhys was straight, because honestly, how could he not be? Queer kids aren’t usually as popular as Rhys was and him being anything other than straight would mean that maybe, just maybe even Vaughn counted as an option in Rhys’ eyes. The thought almost made him give out a bitter laugh.

“I guess I, uh, like intelligent people? And someone you can always share a good laugh with. That’s even more important than being intelligent. Like sure, I wouldn’t want them to be dumb or anything, but if they can make me smile after a tiring day that should be enough.”

“Bro. That’s really sappy.” _And gay_ , Vaughn thought to himself jokingly.

“You asked!” Rhys threw his arms up defensively. “Go on and describe _your_ ideal partner without sounding sappy.”

Oh, boy, Vaughn didn’t think this through. He usually carefully analysed all possible outcomes before speaking to someone, but Rhys appeared to be an exception. And the fact that he was an exception was just coming back to bite him in the ass.

“Whatever, you’re right. I can’t,” he confessed. There was a pause before Rhys spoke again.

“I’m still waiting for you to try though. I refuse to be the only one who embarasses himself tonight.” Rhys crossed his arms and watched Vaughn intently.

Vaughn didn’t know what to do. He hasn’t told Rhys he was gay yet. He was afraid Rhys would become wary of him like liking him and Vaughn wasn’t sure he could deny that while looking Rhys in the eyes. He sighed and looked up at his tall friend.

“Blonde with big boobs?”

Rhys rolled his eyes in response and smiled at him, although not as genuinely as he did a few minutes ago.

“Alright, you win. Apparently I’m the hopeless romantic and you’re the boring guy who watches blonde girl porn in public.”

“Your favourite restaurant chain is Papa Rakk’s Burgers, dude. You’re really not that romantic.”

“Just let me have this one, would you?” Rhys whined as they reached their apartment door. He went ahead to unlock the door, so he couldn’t see the fond and slightly sad smile Vaughn was giving him. Maybe Rhys was actually pretty romantic. Vaughn sighed, thinking that that is something he may never know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this was actually the first fic I've ever written in English so bear with me. Please let me know if you liked it and if you want to see more chapters in the future!
> 
> You can find me on tumblr @thestanpines.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How long can one go without writing obligatory drunk shenanigans? One chapter, apparently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, this chapter is significantly longer than the first one, hope you guys will enjoy. Shoutout to Erik (hyperioncorps) for being the awesome beta that he is, even though I forgot to credit him in the last chapter, sooorry.

If Vaughn was being honest with himself, he had to admit college life has been a blast so far. Sure, he had that one asshole of a teacher (not Ms. Martinez, she was great) like everyone else, who barely let him pass their exam despite the fact that he studied more than any of his classmates. But other than that, things were going pretty well for him.

Amongst other things, his number of friends has skyrocketed over the past semester. Not only did he befriend Rhys, Rhys also introduced him to one of his (probably countless) own friends, Yvette. Yvette was much snarkier than Rhys, and Vaughn sometimes didn’t know if her comments were meant to be rude or funny. Nevertheless, the would-be accountant has still grown fond of her.

So when Rhys came up with the idea of the three of them holding a Bunkers and Badasses game night, he agreed immediately. Yvette sighed and said something along the lines of “why do I even talk to you nerds”, but accepted the offer nonetheless.

Rhys was almost done setting up everything when Vaughn came back with the snacks he bought for the night.

“Bro, I don’t think you should put those bandits so close to the edge of the table,” Vaughn remarked. “Especially if that’s where you are gonna sit.”

“What? Are you telling me I’m clumsy?” Rhys shot back with a pout. He crossed his arms like a child, knocking off two figurines in the process.

“Shut up,” Rhys said quickly. He bent down to pick up the fallen pieces. Vaughn smiled smugly as he crossed the room to put down the two grocery bags he was carrying. His eyes may or may have not lingered on Rhys’ ass and back as his shirt rolled up a little. When he finally caught himself staring, he abruptly turned his head away and hoped that Rhys didn’t notice.

“So,” started Vaughn, trying to get his mind off what just happened. “Do you think Yvette is gonna be ‘fashionably late’ as always?”

“She would’ve been fashionably late about five minutes ago. At this point she’s just being rude.”

“But I only arrived like a minute ago. Does that mean I’m late too?” Vaughn turned towards Rhys with a mockingly concerned expression.

“Nah. The party don’t start ‘til Vaughn walks in.” Rhys winked and grinned at him, punctuating his words with fingerguns. The shorter boy rolled his eyes.

“Really? Tell me about _one_ party that doesn’t die immediately when a nerd like me walks in.” Vaughn gave a half-hearted laugh, only partly joking.

“Uh, a Bunkers and Badasses party, _duh_ ,” Rhys said, raising his eyebrows. “And come on, bro, anyone would be lucky to have someone this awesome at their party.”

Vaughn opened his mouth, even if he had no idea how to react to Rhys’ compliment. He couldn’t have been happier Yvette chose that moment to give their door a single knock and then let herself into their apartment.

“You’re late.” Rhys turned his attention to Yvette now, which caused Vaughn to almost give a sigh of relief.

“Really? Boy, I sure do hope you didn’t just start and possibly finish the game without me,” Yvette quipped.

“Don’t worry. We would never let you down like that,” Vaughn replied in a playful tone.

Yvette gave out a dramatic sigh and walked up to the table. She proceeded to take out a bottle of vodka and a bottle of wine from her surprisingly spacious bag.

“Woah, Yvette. We told you we’d take care of snacks and drinks,” Vaughn blinked confusedly.

“And normally I’d be more than happy to accept that. But sadly, I don’t trust your choices when it comes to drinks. What did you guys even get?”

Both Rhys and Yvette were now looking at Vaughn expectantly. He nervously adjusted his glasses before replying.

“Well, I-uh did get a couple of beers, actually. And soda. And…” he trailed off.

“And?” Yvette insisted, cocking her eyebrow.

“... Organic orange juice.”

“Oh. My. _Goood._ ” Yvette closed her eyes in frustration and raised a hand to her face. Rhys and Vaughn shared a confused look until she collected herself. “Never mind, we can mix it with the vodka. Never mixed vodka with proper organic juice before actually. It’s probably great, though.”

“You know, Yvette,” started Rhys carefully, “Vaughn has a point. This party isn’t supposed to revolve around drinking, it’s supposed to be a fun, sober game night.”

“Everyone takes a shot whenever Rhys rolls a natural one.”

“... Fucking bring it,” Rhys replied between gritted teeth.

“Two if Vaughn rolls one.”

“You’re on,” Vaughn said with a new-found fierceness. “Oh, you’re gonna be so painfully sober tonight, you’re gonna hate it.”

What gives, Rhys’ second roll that night was a natural one. Not only did he fail phaselocking an orc, he also had to take a double shot, because Yvette said she wasn’t paying attention at the first one. Vaughn took another shot with him out of comradery.

“You don’t deserve to play as the Siren,” Yvette remarked.

“Told you you should’ve gone with the Commando. Better stats, easier to play as,” Vaughn agreed.

Rhys gave out an indignant gasp.

“Excuse _you_ , the Siren is the most badass of them all. This game should be called Bunkers and Sirens. Or just simply Siren. That’s how badass she is.”

“Another reason why she doesn’t suit you,” Yvette shrugged.

Vaughn sensed a fight starting out between his two friends, so he quickly rolled the dice. It was a four. Not a critical fail, but they agreed they should drink anyway.

Within two hours, Rhys and Vaughn were both completely drunk with Yvette looking inexplicably sober. Maybe the two of them were lightweights or maybe she was just more used to drinking. Maybe it was both.

At some point, Rhys shuffled closer to Vaughn on the couch to show him where a certain piece was on the board and accidentally stayed there. Vaughn didn’t mind. It was nice to feel Rhys’ warmth next to his thigh, even though it may have looked weird in comparison to how far Yvette was from them.

“Okay, so you guys walk up to the Elven King Durrahn or whatever.” Yvette acted as their bunker master, but she also played as the Baroness sometimes during the night. It was slightly confusing, but Vaughn and Rhys didn’t seem to care.

“I-uhh... Roll to seduce His Highness-ness,” Vaughn said, giving several small nods for some reason.

“Dude, really?”

“Y-yeah.”

“He’s gonna _loooove_ your puffy little hair. It’s-it’s cute. Real cute.” With that, Rhys carefully raised his arm and slipped his fingers into Vaughn’s hair, stroking it gently. If it wasn’t for his drunken state, Vaughn would have probably been freaking the hell out. But thanks to all the shots he had, he simply accepted Rhys’ unusual behaviour and even leaned into the touch.

“Bro. Rhys. My man. I’m playing as the Assassin. He can’t even see m-my face, let… Let alone my hair. If I have any, that is.”

“Ohhh, you have plenty. Look,” Rhys said, as he brought one of Vaughn’s locks as close to his eyes as he could. “You see it? Huh? You see it now?”

“I see it.” Vaughn nodded, accidentally pulling his hair from Rhys’ grasp. It took Rhys a few seconds to process what just happened, but boy, was he revolted when he did. He huffed resentfully, as he slowly pulled his hand away.

“Oh, no. Wait, bro, I’m so sorry.” Vaughn hurriedly catched his roommates’ wrist, almost missing it. He guided it to his own cheek, letting Rhys decide where he wanted to move it from there. They locked eyes and stared at each other for a little while, until they were interrupted by Yvette’s loud groan.

“God, you two are so gay.”

Vaughn tried to think of a witty comeback, but came up with nothing. Thankfully, Rhys was there to help him out.

“Your face!... Is gay,” he said and he stuck out his tongue to Yvette.

“Wow. Nice one, Rhys,” Yvette said, pinching her nose. “Alright, I think I’m going home. And you two should probably get some sleep.”

“Whaaaat,” Vaughn whined. “But I wanted to seduce King Durk-... Durro… King Duran Duran.”

“I’m pretty sure he’s not the one you’re trying to seduce,” Yvette said and gave an all-knowing half-smile. She stood up and snatched the remaining alcohol from the table. So, one beer and a half-empty bottle of vodka basically.

“Heeey, the beer is ours,” Rhys protested.

“Trust me, you don’t need it anymore.” Yvette made sure she didn’t leave anything behind and made her way to the apartment door.

“Don’t do anything too stupid while I’m gone, alright?” She looked back at her friends. Rhys seemed to be already asleep on Vaughn’s shoulder and the shorter boy was watching him instead of Yvette. She shook her head and with one last wave she left the apartment.

The two laid there for a moment, until Vaughn caught himself almost falling asleep as well. He blinked a few times, trying to keep himself awake. He gently shook his resting friend’s shoulders.

“Hey. Rhyzz.”

“Hmm.”

“We should go to sleep.”

“Uh-huh.”

“... Are- are you already asleep?”

“Uh-huh.”

Vaughn sighed, carefully emerging from the couch and therefore forcing Rhys to lift his head from his shoulder. The shorter boy was a little unstable on his feet, but he was still pretty sure he could make it to his bedroom. He didn’t know about Rhys, though.

“Can you make it to your bed?” he asked, not stuttering this time.

It took a few seconds for the taller boy to respond.

“Prob’ly. Would be better if you holed… holded my hand though.”

Vaughn furrowed his brow, but didn’t protest. He offered Rhys his hand and supported him while he got up from the couch. He then wrapped his arm around his shoulders and the two stumbled across the living room to Rhys’ door.

“W-wait,” Rhys said. “The board…”

“We’ll take care of it in the morning.”

Rhys nodded slowly. Vaughn finally let go of him and the Computer Science student looked at him quizzically. He then leaned closer and pressed his forehead against his friends’. Even in his current state, Vaughn felt his stomach flip at the gesture. Rhys’ eyes were closed and god, Vaughn wanted to kiss him so badly right now. But he didn’t dare to move and apparently neither did Rhys. When the taller boy suddenly opened his eyes, he whispered a surprised _“oh”_ and pulled away. Vaughn drew in a sharp breath through his nose.

“Well… G’night then, Vaughn,” Rhys said, his hand already on the door handle.

“I-uh… Good night.” Vaughn waited for Rhys to enter his bedroom, before turning back and heading towards his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask me stuff @thestanpines on tumblr.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vaughn gets very emotional over last night's events. The two of them then go to the Keg-A-Tron 9000 Party Blowout Smash, but it doesn't end up being as fun as advertised.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so here's another shoutout to my amazing beta, Erik (@davdiggs on tumblr)! I'm going on a vacation in two days, so I won't be able to update in the next two weeks. I hope you guys will like this chapter though, and I can PROMISE there'll be some, well, progress between the two in the next chapter ;) Still, this is a real slow burn, so progress can mean a lot of things. Enjoy!

The next morning wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Vaughn woke up with a fairly bad taste in his mouth, but there was no headache or nausea. So after brushing his teeth for a good five minutes he was good as new.

Well, physically at least. Emotionally, he was a freaking mess. He managed to distract himself while he was in the bathroom, but now his thoughts were wandering back to last night’s events. He was secretly grateful he didn’t meet Rhys in the brief time he was out of his room. Vaughn just couldn’t talk to him right now.

What was he supposed to tell him anyway? That Rhys has never sat that close to him before, that he never touched his cheek, that he never pressed his forehead against his, because _duh_ , they were bros and bros don’t do that? That despite everything, he enjoyed every little bit of closeness and wanted it to last forever? He couldn’t tell him that. What he certainly _could_ do was lay on his bed thinking about it and then hating himself for doing so.

He had no idea how long he has been awake. But he had enough time to imagine how Rhys’ face looked up close, to blame Yvette for bringing alcohol and to be thankful for her unintentionally getting Rhys to be more intimate with him than ever. He later assumed that he also fell asleep at some point, because he was jolted awake by the sound of rushing water. Once the faucet was turned off, he could also faintly hear sounds of vomiting coming from the bathroom. Rhys was much more hungover than him, apparently.

Vaughn considered going out there and asking if he needed help with something, but decided against it. It would probably only make Rhys uncomfortable. Additionally, he didn’t really want to get out of bed just yet. So he just laid there, trying hard not to think about anything anymore and occasionally letting out a sigh.

That was until he heard a cautious knock on his door. He turned his head towards the entrance and sat up on his bed.

“Come in,” he said, voice hoarse from not speaking that day.

The door opened and Rhys’ head carefully popped up behind the doorframe. His brown hair was ruffled and he looked pale, but a slow smile was forming on his face.

“Hey. Sorry, did I-- Did I wake you up?”

“Nah, you didn’t. I’ve been up at like 9, then fell back asleep and woke up about an hour ago. What time is it now anyway?”

“It’s 4:34 pm,” Rhys answered readily.

Vaughn’s eyes went wide.

“Really? Oh, shit, this has been a really lazy day then. It’s like we never even study.”

Rhys gave a small chuckle, apparently regretting it as he immediately pressed a hand to his temple.

“Rough night?” Vaughn tried to joke, even though he knew better than anyone how rough last night actually was.

“Ugh. I guess you could say so,” Rhys winced and let his arm fall back to his side.

Vaughn looked at him expectantly, but Rhys didn’t speak again. So he did.

“Seriously, you can come in,” he said, gesturing to his best friend still standing in the doorway.

“What? Oh, yeah, sorry, I just wanted to ask you if you wanted to go to this Keg-A-Tron party tonight.” Rhys was smiling again, not his usual toothy grin, but Vaughn still found it incredibly bright.

“Hair of the dog, huh?” Vaughn raised an eyebrow. “I really don’t think that getting drunk again will cure your hangover. I don’t care what your friends say, that is simply called alcoholism.”

“Vaughn, come on,” Rhys whined. “It’s not even about the drinking. Well, not only. I just think it would be fun. Please?”

Vaughn looked at Rhys hesitantly. He didn’t really feel like going out tonight, but he imagined Rhys’ presence would change that. Still, he couldn’t just torture himself with another night like yesterday.

“Can’t you ask, I don’t know, Yvette? Or any of your other friends?” Vaughn managed to sound much more frustrated than he meant to. Rhys looked taken aback for a second, but replied nevertheless.

“I-I guess I could. But Yvette always finds excuses and I need someone who can take a drink like you. I mean, look at yourself! I feel like absolute shit and you seem to be perfectly okay.”

 _I feel like shit too, only for different reasons_ , Vaughn considered saying, but eventually didn’t.

“Whatever, you really don’t have to if you don’t want to. Maybe staying at home and suffering in peace would be the best for me too,” Rhys said, a touch too dramatically.

“Geez, okay, okay, I’m going,” Vaughn huffed, defeated.

“Seriously?” Rhys looked at him, eyes lighting up already. “I don’t want to pressure you or anything.”

“You’re _waaay_ past pressuring me, bro. Still, I’m serious.”

“Great!” Rhys grinned, probably ignoring his returning headache. “We’ll leave at eight. It’s gonna be so fun, you’ll see.”

With that, the Computer Science student turned on his heels and went back to the bathroom, carefully closing Vaughn’s door behind him.

  


***

  


They were both wearing their Hack-A-Thon shirts that night. Rhys’ was form-fitting and even though it accentuated how ridiculously lanky he was, it somehow still made him look like the most attractive guy on campus. Vaughn’s shirt was, well, XXL-sized and he preferred not thinking about how it made him look. Rhys fingergunned towards him before they left the apartment and naturally, he returned the gesture.

There was an impressive line in front of the Turbo-Dorms, waiting to be let inside by a well-built bodyguard. It was all too surreal and honestly _terrifying_. They weren’t even at the actual party yet and Vaughn was already freaking out.

Rhys seemed to notice this, because he couldn’t stop talking about how awesome the DJ was going to be and how the drinks were definitely going to be top-shelf. He was definitely doing this to try and calm Vaughn’s nerves.

“Even though expensive booze usually tastes like shit, just _thinking_ about how you’re drinking a month rent’s worth makes it feel so good,” Rhys explained with great fervor.

“I… guess it does,” Vaughn replied less excitedly.

Rhys was going to call him out on not appreciating shitty expensive alcohol as much as he should, but that was the moment they became the next in line. The bodyguard didn’t even ask for Rhys’ invitation, which was good, because he didn’t have one. He then proceeded to extend an arm in front of Vaughn, stopping him from getting inside with Rhys.

“Where do you think you’re going, shortstack?”

“Uhh… Inside?” Vaughn said, not very confidently.

“Sorry pal, we’ve already filled our nerd quotient,” the bodyguard said, giving a low chuckle. The pair waiting behind them seemed quite amused by the guard’s words too.

“Oh. All right.” Vaughn paused between the words. “I’ll get going then.”

Rhys turned back to see his friend was not following him inside the dorms.

“What the hell, man?” he asked, looking at the bodyguard and then at Vaughn.

“The Torgue interns gave me specific instructions not to let nerds ruin their Party Blowout Smash. So here I am, not letting them,” the bodyguards explained in an airy tone.

“You can’t be serious,” was the most threatening thing Rhys managed to say.

“Do I look like I’m joking?” The guard raised an eyebrow.

Rhys didn’t know how to respond to that, so he just gave a defeated sigh.

“Fine! Let’s see how much fun you can have without Vaughn’s awesomeness! Good day!” he said, storming off after his roommate, who started walking down the lawn.

“Finally,” the waiting couple murmured as the bodyguard got back to his job.

When Rhys caught up with Vaughn, he was still fuming.

“Snobbish idiots. I bet they’re gonna have a _real_ nice party with those ten people they actually let in.”

Vaughn was walking with a slouch and looking at the ground. It took him a couple of moments to reply.

“Rhys, they let in most of the people who were in front of us. And I bet they’ll do the same with the rest, unless there are other stupid, fat nerds waiting there too.”

The taller boy let his mouth fall slightly open with shock.

“Are you kidd-... Did that guy call you fat? I’m going back right now to kick his muscular ass.”

“Because getting into a fight with an actual bodyguard would end _so_ well for you,” Vaughn laughed bitterly. “And I mean, he didn’t call me that out loud, but I’m pretty sure that ‘fat person with glasses’ is the definition of nerd in his dictionary. That’s why he had no idea you’re a _huuuge_ nerd as well, because there you are, looking like you do, while I… Yeah.”

“Vaughn, bro… Don’t say that. Look at me.”

Vaughn managed to tear his eyes away from the sidewalk and look into Rhys’ hazel eyes.

“You look absolutely amazing, okay? Plus you’re a genius with numbers and just... one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. Anyone would be grateful to be friends with a nerd like you.” Rhys placed a hand on the shorter boy’s shoulder and smiled at him encouragingly.

Okay, if Vaughn didn’t know how to deal with Rhys’ occasional compliments, he certainly had no idea how to deal with _that._ He just kept walking in silence beside his best friend in the whole wide world, who just called him amazing. His best friend whom he was seriously crushing on by this point. This was plain torture.

“I know it’s impossible to suddenly gain confidence overnight,” Rhys decided to continue. “Just… Fake it and no one will know the difference. It worked for me.”

Vaughn was honestly shocked over how Rhys would open up this much to him. He genuinely trusted the would-be accountant and he had no idea what he did to deserve such special treatment. After all, Rhys couldn’t be like this with all of his friends, could he?

“Thanks, bro. It… it really means a lot,” Vaughn said and gave a cautious smile. He then lifted his right hand, holding out his fist towards Rhys. The taller boy immediately bumped it with his own in the broest manner possible.

“Hey, we’re bros, right? This is what we do.”

“Yeah,” Vaughn nodded, even if he wished they had a slightly different relationship. “We’re bros.”

Rhys beamed at him again with that confident (or maybe fake-confident?) smile of his.

“That’s what I’m talking about! Let’s, y’know, get out there and have the time of our lives! That stupid party was doomed from the beginning anyway.”

Vaughn didn’t feel like mentioning how much Rhys had praised the party before they got there. He just chose to go along with it and see what “having the time of their lives” would bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmu @thestanpines on tumblr!


End file.
